Mogao Cave 321

Mogao Cave 321 was built in early Tang Dynasty(618-704AD). This cave has a square main hall and a truncated pyramidal ceiling. Inside the niche with a Rat ceiling in the west wall are seven stucco figures restored in the Qing dynasty. The south and north sides of the ceiling represent two flying apsarasas and Bodhisattvas leaning over the balcony respectively. The apsarasas are flying free and easy with upper body naked and lower body in dhotis, while the Bodhisattvas stand within the wall railing looking downwards, with waists twisted or arms bent. On the north wall is an illustration of the Pure Land of Amitabha, in which Amitabha Buddha, flanked by Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamprapta, is seated on the central throne with right shoulder exposed and holds in dharmacakra mudra. In the precious pond are children of transformed souls out of the lotuses and magical birds playing with the water, and in the air are pavilions and flowering illustration of Precious Rain Sutra is represented on the south wall based on the version translated by Bodhiruci in 693. Unfortunately two pieces of murals on each sides of the central image had been taken away by the American Landon Warner in 1924.
On the north side of the entrance wall is an image of an eleven-faced and six-armed Avalokitesvara flanked by two attendants. The eleven faces represented in pagoda style with three layers, three faces on the top layer, five on the middle layer, and three on the bottom layer,is a valuable material for studying the images of early Esoteric Buddhism.